Shadows of War
by ShadowWalkerZA
Summary: The leaders of the world's arms industries convene in New Gotham for a Global Defense summit. Meanwhile Barbara investigates Cris' background and Dinah deals with her new found ability.
1. Chapter 1

**Shadows of War**

**Chapter 1**

The stifling heat had eased as the sun dipped under the horizon and the moon slowly crept higher. A breeze blew in from the ocean, cooling the air a little more. The residents of New Gotham welcomed the respite; summer time in the city was akin to an oven.

The ocean lapped lazily at the dock of a seemingly abandoned warehouse. Inside the warehouse stood a lone table, a wooden chair and a drum. A figure stood nearby. His head tilted up to soak in the silver moonlight that shone in through a hole on the roof.

A group of men materialized near the entrance of the warehouse. The man didn't turn as he open his mouth to speak.

"Your timing is impeccable Mr Bouche, I must congratulate you," he said.

Bouche smirked as he stepped forward, "Timing is my business Monsieur."

The man turned around and walked towards the table, the small lamp illuminating him even more than the moonlight. Hammon Gideon could have easily been mistaken as a giant. He stood to almost 7 ft 3, his eyes the same color as his dark African skin. His face was square and strong and his body rippled with bulging muscles..

"I trust your delivery has met your expectations?" he asked.

Bouche lifted his chin a little, "Yes I am most pleased," His smile grew maliciously, "Ah, but I'm afraid I have changed my requirements." He settled a briefcase on the table.

"As agreed, I will hand over our little treasure but the price has increased," he said opening the briefcase.

Hammon's face did not falter as the Frenchman gazed smugly at him, "How unfortunate."

With a slight flick of his hand, red dots appeared on Bouche's henchmen, "As you can see Mr Bouche, I anticipate every small thing, including unwise business dealings." He flicked his wrist again and Bouche's men fell to the ground. Bouche spun around to watch his last bodyguard fall to the floor. He turned back to Hammon and stared down the barrel of a silenced 9mm caliber pistol.

"_Merde_," he whispered as the bullet left the chamber and bored itself through his head.

* * *

"Touchdown," Helena said softly into the air as she melted into the dark quarters of a guard house. Her eyes scanned the exterior of the warehouse. "It's a little quiet here."

"_Advise precaution, Reese is a minute away,_" Barbara's voice replied over the comm..

Helena inched forward, remaining the in shadow of the various surrounding buildings. A movement in the corner of the eye halted her. She watched as Jesse peered around the corner.

"_Reese, Huntress is a yard to your north west. I suggest you flank the warehouse on its east side, Huntress to go west," _Barbara directed.

Helena turned softly and stepped quietly around the corner.

* * *

In the clocktower the lights were dimmed slightly to allow a clearer view of the various monitors surrounding the heart of Delphi. Barbara's eyes were focused on the feed from the gps and the only camera feed from a neighboring factory.

The quiet made Barbara uneasy, so had everything else lately. Since her recovery Barbara had checked and double checked everything she and the girls said and did. She no longer felt secure and felt she was dangerously approaching paranoia. Delphi along with every other major piece of equipment had undergone rigorous scans and diagnostics before Barbara convinced herself that at least the clocktower was secure enough.

"_We're about to enter the warehouse,_" Jesse's whisper broke the silence.

"I'm not reading any heat signatures inside but that doesn't mean it's been vacated," Barbara warned as her fingers worked furiously on the keyboard.

She was holding her breath, she only realized she was when Helena's voice come over the comm.. "_It's empty, there's nobody here."_

_

* * *

  
_

"_Just keep your eyes and ears open,_" Barbara's voice advised. Helena rolled her eyes as she strolled carefully around inside the warehouse.

Jesse turned around slowly, his eyes scanning every square inch. "Oracle, when did you say the last tenants left?"

"_2 months ago, the warehouse belonged to ProAlloy, an alloys and metals company. The warehouse stored their products bound for international clients,_" Barbara replied.

"There definitely was someone here, the floor's not that dusty and there are a few patches where it's been cleaned," he said as he bent down examining a clean patch of concrete. Helena bent down next to him. She frowned as she sniffed the air.

"You're right, it's been washed with bleach," she said turning to face him.

"_Swab the floor,_" Barbara ordered, "_Then get back here._"

"Aye aye," Helena replied smiling as Jesse ran a cotton swab over the floor and slipped into a plastic bag.


	2. Chapter 2

"_And in other News, an accident at a private heliport has left three dead including French arms industrialist Juan Pierre Bouche. There is currently no confirmation on the cause for the accident, but investigators suspect pilot error. Bouche was expected to represent his company at the Global Defense Summit later on this week. General Adam Kelly released a statement shortly after news of Bouche's death…"_

Barbara pulled into the parking lot of the school and switched the engine off. As she headed into the school's newly built main passageway she noticed the school was quieter than usual. She approached the reception desk.

"Oh Kate I'm sorry I'm late, the traffic was hell this morning!" she said as she retrieved her folders.

"Not to worry Barbara, you're not the only one, the school's only half full today, everybody's been held back by the traffic," the school's receptionist replied before answering the switchboard. She hung up and turned to Barbara, opened the drawer and handed her the classroom keys.

"It's because of that French guy you know, the one that died in the helicopter accident. Magda told me that some black SUVs have been racing up and down the main roads with police escorts," she said as she handed the keys over.

Barbara rolled her eyes as she sensed another conspiracy theory.

"It's what happens when the leaders of every major arms company convene in one city, they just being careful," she said as she started towards her classroom.

* * *

Dinah's throat hurt. She rubbed it absentmindedly as she wrote in her notebook.

"You ok?" Gabby asked sticking a straw in her mouth.

Dinah looked up, "Uh yeah, well, I think it's just a little, uh I was screaming a little hard at the Athletics yesterday," she replied.

Gabby rolled her eyes and continued sucking juice through the straw. She watched as the new kid crossed the hall to an empty set of seats. Devlin Thatch, the school's most promising quarterback and fearless leader of the Jocks stepped in front of the dark haired newcomer.

"You're in my way," he said staring down.

He had to struggle to look down at the new kid though. He wasn't taller than Devlin but he wasn't too short either.

They locked eyes and then the kid stood back, "Excuse me, I must have left my manners in Metropolis."

Devlin snorted and turned to seek applause from his friends. Every last molecule of oxygen escaped from his lips as the newcomer's fist threatened to push his abs against his spine.

Devlin sunk to the ground gasping for breath as his friends jumped up to teach the new kid a lesson.

Gabby patted Dinah on her arm and pointed at the impending battle.

"Looks like the new guy's settling in," Gabby said as she put her empty juice box down.

Dinah turned and then shook her head, anyone looking for a fight with Devlin and his buddies was guaranteed a weeks stay in the hospital.

"Hey! Stop!" a voice shouted from the kitchen. One of the teachers rushed up and managed to get Devlin's buddies to back off.

"You're coming with me," he said pointing to the new guy.

* * *

General Adam Kelly sat back in his chair and cranked the air conditioner up. He closed his eyes and sighed as the icy cool air washed over him, cooling him down. There was a soft knock on the door and his secretary opened the door.

"Miss Bryce is here sir," she said and stood aside.

Adam stood up and straightened his uniform. He'd met Avalon Bryce before, but the woman made an entry that would have made Julius Caesar turn in his grave. The first thing that always struck a person when she entered the room was that for a woman 50 years old, she didn't look a day over 40. The other thing was that Avalon Bryce was a gift from heaven. She was tall and athletic, her dark hair tied back neatly. Her eyes were as blue as the glacier ice in the arctic and her smile melted the even the hardiest of men's hearts. _The dame also had the best damned legs I've ever seen._

"Miss Bryce, it's always a pleasure seeing you," he said as he rounded the coffee table and extended his hand. Avalon's smile widened and accepted his hand.

"You flatter me General," she replied.

"Please, call me Adam," he said and motioned her to sit.

"Then call me Avalon," she said as she took a seat.

"I trust your people have been briefed over the new security detail?" he asked, taking a seat opposite her.

"Yes, thank-you," she frowned, "I still cannot accept the fact the Juan Pierre is dead. It was only yesterday we spoke over lunch at the Grand."

"Mr Bouche's death is unfortunate," Adam agreed

Avalon cocked her head slightly as she regarded Adam, "You know as well as I that he was an excellent pilot Adam. He could have flown through the Alps blindfolded."

Adam remained quiet. It was true, Juan Pierre Bouche was a decorated pilot and the investigator's report just didn't gel. The FBI was of the opinion that the incident had been an assassination. To say that they didn't expect this to happen would be a bold faced lie, but with the summit and the kind of people currently attending, the report wouldn't be taken well. Adam was skating on a thin line and hated the whole business.

"Let's not let this incident distract us. I have spoken to the General Secretary and he is, to put it lightly, excited about your new project. I trust you'll be presenting it at the summit?" he asked.

The frown disappeared, "Yes, the announcement of our remote shielding has caused quite a stir."

"Enough to have the U.S. Army salivating, but I suspect that any mention of our dealing will be kept from the report. There are a lot of countries out there who'll be particularly unhappy about the US acquiring the first shipment," he said as his concern started to show.

Avalon's smile widened, "Contrary to popular belief Adam, we don't develop these systems for monetary reward, the future of America and the world is of concern to us."

"Yes well, I'd just like to see the good ol US-of-A be the first secured country," Adam replied.

"Of course."


	3. Chapter 3

Barbara tapped her finger on the keyboard as she stared intently at the screen. It was a habit she'd swore over and over again to stop but never really got around to trying. Helena wondered by, shaking her head and wiggling her ears.

"How's Dinah's practise coming along," Barbara asked, she stopped tapping the keyboard and placed her hand on her lap.

Helena ignored her, instead she mounted the stairs and ran up, obviously on her way to raid the kitchen for pop tarts. Barbara frowned and turned her attention back to her screen. A little while later Helena came down with a pop tart in each hand. Barbara watched her pass Delphi on her way to a couch nearby. When Helena settled down Barbara saw her look up and smile at her.

"How's Dinah's practice coming along?" she asked once again.

"YOU'LL HAVE TO SPEAK UP, DINAH'S BEEN PRACTISING HER CRY," Helena replied loudly.

Barbara nodded and turned around, she put a reminder in her PDA to increase the noise cancelling on Helena's earplugs.

A new message popped up on her screen. Barbara clicked on it. A photo of Cris talking to an old man appeared with a message on the bottom saying, "Man on the right is Aleksander Dimitri Petrov. Ex KGB and was considered dead to the intelligence world till this photo was captured 4 years back."

Barbara scrolled down. Another photo appeared, this one with Cris and another man. The man has his back to the camera. The message below it read, "Can't identify this guy but I'm guessing one of Petrov's friends. Your friend's been places Oracle baby, watch out!"

Barbara hit reply and started typing, "Six is covered Cue Ball, thanks for the info, keep it coming"

As she hit send Dinah emerged from upstairs, "Barbara, could we stop practise, I mean for a short while, my throat feels like I been swallowing staples."

"WHAT?" Helena shouted.

Dinah rolled her eyes. Barbara smiled and shook her head, "Ok by me. Leslie's coming up later maybe she can run a check."

Dinah nodded and then headed back upstairs.

Barbara stared at the screen. What would Cris be doing with Ex KGB and who was the other man? Barbara knew Cris' colleagues from before Cris joined them, while she was chasing her brother half way across the world. None of them had any ex KGB ties. Barbara called up a file on Aleksander Petrov and got ready for some heavy reading.

* * *

Avalon Bryce scowled as a ton of reporters rushed towards her. She had not a chance to breath in a breath of air after stepping out of the humvee before having to talk her way through. Her aide Fiona stood in front of Avalon and helped the bodyguards push the reporters away. A reporter grabbed Avalon's jacket. Avalon stumbled backwards, just then Fiona's head exploded and brain matter scattered over Avalon and the reporters. Someone somewhere screamed, Avalon had no time to react; she was rushed into the building before her mind even registered what happened.

General Kelly saluted the guard standing outside the door. He knocked softly and at the prompt announced himself. As he entered the room all he saw were black suits. They stepped aside, once satisfied he really was who he was, and revealed a haggard looking woman on he sofa. She was sipping on chamomile tea.

He sat down gently next to her.

"It was meant for me Adam, that bullet was supposed to split MY head apart!" she said and looked up at him.

"I know Avalon, that's why I'm going to propose the summit be postponed," he replied softly.

"What?!" Avalon exclaimed and stood up.

"C'mon now, you and I both suspect Bouche was killed! We all knew from the start there was going to be trouble like this, that's why the whole of New Gotham is on the brink of a total shut down. We can't find them, and until we can it's going to be much safer for you and the rest to stay low," Adam replied calmly.

"Have you any idea what that kind of action will tell the public?! You want us to hide like cowering mice while you tear the town apart! Adam this very summit was proposed to stop all this from happening! You postpone or, God forbid, stop this summit you are submitting us to the chaos those terrorists have created! I cannot allow you to do this! I will not let them win this war!" She poured herself some more tea but then slammed the cup on the table, spilling tea on the polished surface.

She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose while her other hand rested on her hip.

"I apologise, I just cannot allow these people to rule our efforts with terror and fear. Adam, please you must convince them to let the summit continue," she said sitting next to him again and holding on of his hands.

General Kelly sighed, "I can speak to my people."

"Thank-you, I also would like to release a statement to the press," she said and then hushed Adam who was about the protest, "I want them to know we will not be intimidated.

"You'll have to forgive me for saying so but you have some guts lady," He smiled.

* * *

Barbara had one of her overhead screens tuned to the local news while she worked on her personal screen. Leslie was in the sick bay examining Dinah and Helena.

"_Chaos struck New Gotham today when an aide to Miss Avalon Bryce from Bryce Industries was shot in the head, a bullet clearly intended for Miss Bryce,"_ The screen switched to footage taken by a cameraman. It showed Avalon being pulled backwards by a reporter and her aide's head disappearing in a bloody explosion. _"Police and members of the US Military were unable to track the shooter down. Miss Bryce held a press release shortly after." Avalon had freshened up and no longer looked haggard. Her blue eyes pierced the crowed as if searching for the culprits._

"_Fiona Daily was not only my aide but a friend and I would like to express my deepest condolences to her family. This action, however, will not deter me from my mission and that of my fellow industrialists. We will continue the summit and will present our contributions to help defend our countries and our people." _

The elevator door opened and Jesse stepped out with a brown envelope in his hand.

"_Representatives from the world's top defence industries are set to convene Friday to present their contributions to help prevent terrorism."_

Jesse pointed to the screen, "Tell you one thing, I'd be glad when all that business is over."

Barbara turned the sound down. She smiled at Jesse and said, "I'd be too."

Jesse waved the envelope, "You owe me big time, I narrowly missed the FBI with this report, as for the rest you're gonna have to hack their files."

"The FBI?" Barbara frowned, "What have they got to do with the warehouse?"

He handed the report to her, "It's all inside"

"Hey did I just hear… oh yeah you," Helena said as she approached Jesse.

"Glad to know your hearing has come back," Jesse said as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Not entirely back, but give or take a day she'll be back to hearing Dinah snore over the comms," Leslie said as joined them.

"I don't snore," Dinah exclaimed behind Leslie.

"Uhhh you do, I hear it too," Jesse said.

Barbara was only half aware of the conversation, she typed furiously on her keyboard after reading the report Jesse had handed to her. A picture of wreckage replaced the news caster; next to it was a copy of an autopsy.

"Jean Pierre Bouche, can't say that I'm going to miss him," Leslie said as she read the details on the autopsy, "The man was a chauvinist."

"What you investigating him for," Dinah asked as she stood behind Barbara.

"Jesse's blood sample matches samples taken from the crash site. The blood is Mr Bouche's," Barbara replied as the photo and the autopsy was replaced by records on the warehouse.

"So far Bouche's never been close to 10 miles of the warehouse, so why would his blood be on the floor?" she asked no one in particular.

"It gets stranger, I over heard one of the Feds say Bouche's flight was delayed for some technical reason but couldn't say why."

"So we have reason to place Bouche at the warehouse around ten to ten thirty pm. Bouche had a dinner meeting with Tomoyo Ishini earlier at around 8pm, it takes 15 mins to get to the warehouse from the restaurant via the fastest route. Which would mean he would have left the latest nine forty five," as she spoke, a map of new Gotham appeared on the screen above her with gps points and information scrolling on the side.

"Not much of a dinner meeting," Helena remarked.

"Ishini is not known to speak more than one or two monosyllables, it was more likely business over a martini," Barbara replied, "Bouche was staying in his private Yacht near the harbour."

A picture of Bouche's yacht appeared on the screen, "That's not a yacht, it looks more like a tanker!" Dinah exclaimed.

"Bouche was scheduled to arrive at the New Gotham private Heliport at five am but, as Jesse reported, his flight only left just before six," Barbara carried on. "Which means between ten pm and five am, Bouche was killed, his body stuffed in his helicopter and flown over to the heliport only to 'die' again in the crash."

"Why would someone do that?" Dinah asked.

"To cover the fact that he was murdered," Leslie answered faster then Barbara.

"Yeah but wouldn't the autopsy say if he was killed in the crash or before it?" Helena asked.

"Not if there was too much damage to the same area where he was shot," Barbara beat Leslie.

Leslie frowned, "Not quite, could you go back to the autopsy?" Barbara typed a command and the autopsy reappeared.

"There was no extensive damage to his abdomen, according to the report, the liver was still intact. Whoever did this autopsy could have taken a liver sample and blown the whole cover up!" she said turning towards Barbara.

Helena groaned "Wait, don't tell me, you want me to go to the morgue."

Barbara smiled, "No, I want you to question the doctor. Dinah can take the sample."


	4. Chapter 4

Dinah hated morgues; she hated the smell, the sterile atmosphere and the memories. She stepped into what Helena called the stiffs cabinet room. A room with a whole lot of drawers filled with dead bodies.

"_Bouche's in drawer 12, middle right," _Barbara's voice answered Dinah's silent question, _"Do you remember what you need to do??"_

"Yeah," Dinah answered.

She pulled the drawer open and uncovered the body. A rush of nausea assaulted her as a mangled head and burnt skin greeted her.

"Ack!" Dinah closed her eyes.

"_She's gonna puke," _Helena's voice sang over the comm.

"_Dinah, remember what I told you, breathe through your mouth and don't look at the head," _Barbara's voice helped soothe the nausea away.

Dinah pulled the cover further down revealing Bouche's abdomen. She took a syringe apparatus out.

"Uh doesn't the body need to be warm to test this kind of thing?" Dinah asked looking up and staring at the wall.

"_Usually yes, but I can use the sample to do a rate of decay analysis, there will be a substantial difference if he was killed in the warehouse or in the crash," _Barbara replied.

Dinah scrunched her face, "Ok."

She looked down at Bouche again and inserted the syringe. "Oh, ew," she groaned as she filled the vial with red liquid.

"I'm so going vegetarian for a month!"

"_But what about your favourite pepperoni deep dish with extra…" _

"_Helena!"_

"I think I'm gonna puke," Dinah said as she turned away.

"_You owe me ten bucks Barbara," _Helena's voice whispered in triumph.

"_No puking! Only puke when you're outside!"_

* * *

Helena turned her comm. down. She only joked about it but the sound of someone retching made her queasy.

She looked up at an apartment building and then down an alley. The Doctor was in apartment 86. Not the best place to stay for a Doctor, but it wasn't the first time she'd seen a Doctor live in a dump. She leaped into the air and landed on the emergency stairwell. She found the window to 86 unlocked and open. She climbed through cautiously.

"Wow! This place is a mess!" Helena whispered as she looked around.

"_What do you mean by mess?" _Barbara asked.

"As in someone was here and didn't like the way it looked," Helena replied.

"_Just be…"_

"Careful, yeah I know."

Helena looked around while being careful around the mess, if whom ever tore the place apart was still in there, she didn't want to alert them by tripping over something. She entered the bedroom and froze in place.

"Uh Barbara, I don't think the doc is in the mood to talk," Helena whispered.

'_What do you mean?"_

"He's dead,' she replied.

The doctor hung from a rope tied to a fixture on the ceiling. His lifeless eyes stared at Helena. She looked away and backed out of the room. She scanned the living room for anything Barbara could use but found nothing. At the first hint of a siren she left, out the window she came through.

* * *

Jesse had just packed up and was standing near his car talking to an officer when a motorbike roared up and stopped next to them. The rider dismounted and walked towards him. As soon as the helmet was lifted away, a women's face greeted him. She was blonde with green eyes and wore a grin that made him nervous.

"Quite a bike," he commented after the police officer excused himself.

She turned and pointed towards her ride, "Yeah, Honda Valkyrie Rune, a real bitch to get imported!"

"Detective Resse, You live here?" He introduced himself.

"Pfft hardly, wouldn't catch me dead here, I'm Detective Queen," She replied.

"You're only supposed to be reporting in tomorrow partner," Reese said as he turned back to his car.

The woman chuckled, "I heard the call over the radio, thought I'd break the ice before we officially team up tomorrow."

"Huh, well we can go over the details tomorrow, scene's been processed already. Took you long enough to get here after the call," he spoke over his shoulder as he opened his car door.

She smiled and slid her helmet back on, "Yeah see ya tomorrow."

She mounted her bike and roared off.

* * *

In a garage in a small house outside the city, a middle aged man sat in his chair staring at a package lying on a table in front of him.

"They destroyed you, made you walk away from the biggest opportunity you'd ever faced," a voice said behind him.

"My w…wife left me," Tamil stuttered, his eye narrowed in anger.

"They took your life away. Now it's time you paid them back," Hammon stepped into the light behind Tamil. He placed both his hands on Tamil's shoulders.

"How?" Tamil asked.

"Fireworks my friend," Hammon replied, "Blow them away!"


End file.
